Overseaming machine



DCC- 19, 1933. A` L. PLAMONDON OVERSEAMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5.',1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 19, 1933 A. L. PLAMONDON OVERSEAMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'NVENTDFG mw PW `ATTDRNELF Dec. 19, 1933. A PLAMONDON 1,940,144

OVERSEAMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFl-lcE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to overseaming machines and will be explained in connection with such -machines of the Merrow type, although it is capable of application to machines of various other types. Y

It is sometimes desirable to provide an overseaming machine with vtwo or more -needles in parallel relation with each other, in order to make a stronger, and also more decorative-seam. In orde;1 to` strengthen the seam and to have both of the stitches formed by the thread-carrying needles engage the overedge loops, it is highly desirable to have the needles very close together, and in such cases it has been found that on account of the increased tension required when multiple needles are empioyed, the lateral pull of the loop of the uppereloopthread on the outer tl.nead-carrying needle will spring the latter and destroy the parallelism of the stitches, and in fact, sometimes such needle is sprung sufficiently to cause it to strike the needle plate.

The object of 'my invention therefore isf'to provide an overseaming machine having two closelyspaced, reciprocating, threadcarrying needles in parallel relation to each other, with a guard to maintain the parallelism of said needles when the outer needle is subjected to the' lateral pull kof the upper-looper thread'. The needle guard conveniently may consist of a plate having a bifurcated edge directed towardthe path ofthe needles, and supported by the presser foot in such position with respect to the needles that the points of the latter enter the space beside one of the prongs of the forked guard and the space-be' tween said prongs, respectively,` at precisely the moment the loop of upper-looper thread isexerting a lateral pull on the outermostl needle, whereby the springing of said needle in the direction of such pull is prevented, and theV parallelism of the needles is maintained.`

In the drawings which accompany a part of this specification- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an overseaming machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation; Y

Fig. 3 is a plan `View with the head broken aWay;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the vneedle plate;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the needle guard and 50 the lower portion of the presser foot to which it is secured;

Fig. 6 is a schematic View illustrating how the upper-looper thread subjects the outer needle to a lateral pull, certain parts being shown in section on the line 6-6 of Figs. 4 and 5; and

and' Y form Cal Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the stitch formed by the particular machine herein specifically described.

The general features of the overseaming machine illustrated in the drawings, the thread guides, take-ups, tensions, actuating mechanisms whereby the lower looper is given a reciprocatory motion, and the upper looper a combined reciprocatory and oscillatory motion, are all well known in this art, having `been described in various patents such as those to Stedman 732,457, JuneBO, 1903; Avis 1,217,896, March 6, 1917, and Merrow 1,217,975, March 6, 1917, to which reference may be had fora more detailed` description of features which constitute no part of this invention. than 'is necessary to` set forth herein.

v Apair of thread-carrying needles 10, 11are secured in any suitable manner to the'needle carrier 12 mounted for oscillation about the stud 13,-and actuated by the link 14'ar'ticulated to the wrist pin 15, the latter being driven by the usual well-known means. The said needles are in parallel relation to each other, and are spaced `closely together, as will be seen from Fig. 1 in whichftheir shanks are shown in contact. The separation of the points of saidneedles is, in this particular machine, about one millimeter. Ar ranged for co-operation with each other" and with saidfneedles, are a lower looper- 16 which,

`in the present instance, has a reciprocatory motion, and an upperlooper 17 which has' a combined oscillatory and reciprocatory movement. Each looper is eyed and carries a thread, the upperlooper thread being shown at 18, and the lower looper -threadat19. The thread 18 passes from the tension 18 through the take-up' 2() and tube 21 to the eye of the upper looper, while the thread 19 passes from a tension (not shown) .through the eye 22 and channels 23, 24 to the eyerof the lowerlooper. Secured to the upper surface of presser foot 25, which is arranged abovev the usual needle plate 26, is the needle guard 27 which, in combination with the paral-l lel needles'and the several elements co-operating therewith constitutes the salient feature of my invention. The said needle guard consists pref-v erably inra plate having a bifurcated edge directed toward the path of the needles, andis secured, preferably adjustably, to the presser foot by the screw 28.V The `relative position of the guard and needle plate is such that the prong 29 of the bifurcated forward edge of said guard is directly above the prong 30 of the needle plate. As indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the needle 10 passes through the space on the left of said prong 29 of the guard (the machine being viewed from the front) and the needle 11 passes through the space between the prongs 29 and 31 of said guard. As indicated schematically in Fig. 6, the relative vertical positions of the needle guard, presser foot and needle plate is such that the points of the needles have slightly entered the guard, i. e., are slightly below the top of the guard at the instant that the upper-looper thread begins,` to exert a lateral pull on the outermost needle lO, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The thread for the inner needle 11 passes through the tension 32 and thread for the outer needle 10 through the tension 33, both said threads then passing through the eye 33' and the take-up 35. When the thread-carrying needles are at their lowermost position, the parts have substantially the positions shown in Fig. 1. As the needles rise, the lower looper 16 moves to the right horizontally and inserts the thread 19v through the loops of the needles 10, 11, while at the same time' the upper looper 17 moves to the right and upwardly and over the needle plate and chaining nger 34, entering the loop of the lower looper thread and carrying its own loop across the needle plate and into the path of the needles, so that as the needles move downwardly, the loop of the upper looper thread is passed around said needles. As the upper looper moves toward-the right and downwardly to resume its initial position, the loop carried thereby exerts a pull toward the right on the outer needle 10 (see Fig. 6), and if the same were not compensated for, the said needle would be sprung toward the right, thereby either striking the prong 30 of the needle plate, or else reducing the space between the two rows of stitches 36, 37 (Fig. 7)' formed inthe fabric by the needles, and making themirregular and out of parallel.

. Although it will be understood that my invention isinot limited in its application to the particular machine specifically described herein and may be employed in connection with multi-needle overseaming machines of various types producing stitches different from those made by the machine illustrated, for completeness of disclosure I have shown in Fig. 7 the stitch made bysaid machine with the usual adjustments.

vAs` the needles rise, the lower looper carrying the thread 19 proceeding toward the right, is inserted through the needle thread loops and continues itstravel toward the right until'the upper looper carrying the thread 18, having moved to the right simultaneously with the lower looper, is oscillated upwardly and inserts itsr thread through the lower-looper-thread loop, and then moves further upwardly and over' the needle plate and chaining finger, and across the needle plate into the path of the needle. At about' the time the needles start to move downwardly, the upper looper has reached the end of its travel to the left and begins to move toward the right and downwardly at an angle to the needle plate. TheV needles then carry their threads 36, 37 respectively,

j through the loop laid by the upper looper, as indicated at 38. When the point of the upper looperY reaches approximately theY plane of the needle plate, the lower looper thread loop slides off` said point, and the take-up 39 draws the-same against the edge of the Work, as shown at 19 in Fig. 7. The upper looper then proceeds downwardly and to the left, thus interlocking the loops of the upper and lower looper threads, whereupon the loopers proceed to their extreme lefthand positions preparatory to making another overedge stitch, the needle thread take-ups in the meantime having tightened the loops of said threads against the end portion of the loop of the lowerlooper thread, thus locking the stitches formed by the needle threads 36, 37 on the under side of the Work.

The usual cutter which operates on the edge of the work before the overseaming operation, is shown at 40, and various other parts are represented although not specically described because they are well understood by those skilled in the art.

Having thus described an illustrative embodiment of my invention without however limiting the same thereto, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An overseaming machine comprising in combination, two closely-spaced reciprocating threadcarrying needles in parallel relation to each other, a needle-plate, a lower looper and an upper looper arranged for co-operation with each other and with said needles, said upper looper being constructed andv arranged to pass a loop of upper-looper thread around said needles, a presser foot disposed above said needle-plate and a guard disposed above said presser foot and arranged adjacent the outer of said needles to maintain the parallelism of said needles when the outer needle is subjected to the lateral pull of the upper-looper thread.

2. An overseaming machine comprising in combination, two closely-spaced needles in parallel relation to each other, an upper looper constructed and arranged to pass a loop of the upper looper thread around said needles, a presser foot and meansrdisposed above saidpresser foot and arranged adjacent the outer of said needles for maintaining the parallelism of the needles when the outer needle is subjected to the lateral pull of the upper-looper thread.

3. The combination with'an overseaming machine having two closely-spaced needles in parallel relation to each other, of an upper looper constructedand arranged to pass a loop of the upper looper thread around said needles, a presser foot and a needle-guardsecuredto the upper surface of said presser foot, said needle-guard comprising a bifurcated plate directed toward the path of said needles, one'prong of said plate being arranged adjacent to the outer of said needles i whereby the parallelism of the needles is maintained when the outer needle is subjected to the lateral pull of the upper looper thread.

4. The combination with an overseaming machine having two closely-spaced needles in parallel relation to each other, a needle-plate and a presser foot'disposed above and co-operating with saidy needle-plate, of an upper looper co-acting with said needles andra needle guard disposed above said presser foot and arranged adjacent the outer of said needles for maintaining the parallelism of said needles when the outer needleis subjected to the lateral pull of the upper looper thread. ,Y l

. ARTHUR L. PLAMONDON.

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